Siblings | January 2016

A couple of my blogging resolutions include taking better pictures and start joining a few select linkies and what better way to combine them than starting with taking pictures of my two boys together, and linking up to the monthly ‘Siblings’ linky over at Dear Beautiful. Once a month to ease myself in is just enough I think (until my new blog planner arrives anyway!).

Toby’s never really been that close to Ted, he’s never totally asserted that protective big brother role. I don’t know whether it’s because the age gap is relatively small, or whether he’s not happy that he has a younger brother. He will occasionally stroke him on the face and say ‘aaah’, but he’s never wanted to hold him or tried to play with him.

Ted has recently started crawling and so now can happily and freely get at all the toys he likes, much to Toby’s dislike. Toby has become very possessive over his things, even taking toys that he’s not playing with away from Ted and putting them in another room just so he can’t have them. Toby never really used to be that fussed, in that he’d kind of just let Ted get on with it, but he’s just developed this jealousy out of nowhere in the last week or two.

Toby has become quite demanding of my attention when I’m feeding Ted, or even if I’m giving Ted a cuddle before him, he’s trying to clamber over me which is, again, something that never really used to phase him. We’ve always been very inclusive and haven’t left him out of anything, so this really is like someone’s switched a little button on in his head.

However, there are rays of hope. You get the moments when he wants to pick Teddy up to move him in the same room as us. Moments when he wants me to put Ted in his walker so he can be chased and push him around in return. That moment before bed where he gives Ted a kiss and a wave ‘n-night’.

I’m excited this year for their relationship to grow and develop into something a bit more brotherly than it currently is. I’m hoping Toby will take on that big brother role and be protective, want to include Ted in his play and just all round be loving and kind towards him. I hope Ted looks up to his big brother as Toby already makes him laugh, usually if Toby is making odd screaming noises, or bouncing him a bit too hard in the Jumperoo.

I’m looking forward to them being siblings, and for us to parent these boys together while bringing them up to be the brothers we’ll know they’ll both be.